Little Crusader () is a 2017 Czech historical drama film directed by
Václav Kadrnka.
It won a
Crystal Globe at the
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (, KVIFF) is an annual film festival held in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern Eur ...
.
The film, shot in Italy, tells the story of the knight Bořek, who is travelling to find his lost son.
It is based on the poem ''Svojanovský křižáček'' by
Jaroslav Vrchlický
Jaroslav Vrchlický (; 17 February 1853 – 9 September 1912) was a Czech people, Czech lyrical poet. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel prize in literature eight times.
Life
He was born Emilius Jakob Frida in Louny ...
.
The filming style is reminiscent of movies directed by
František Vláčil
František Vláčil (19 February 1924 – 27 January 1999) was a Czech film director, painter, and graphic artist.
From 1945 to 1950, he studied aesthetics and art history at Masaryk University in Brno. Later, he worked in various groups an ...
.
Cast and characters
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Karel Roden as Bořek
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Aleš Bílík as Szimko
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Jana Semerádová as Mother
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Matouš John as Jeník
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Jiří Soukup as a Hermit
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Michal Legíň as Uhlíř
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Šimon Vyskočil as Uhlíř's son
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Jana Oľhová as the innkeeper's wife
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Ivan Krúpa as the innkeeper
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Eliška Křenková as Angel
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Jan Bednář as Štěpán
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Tomáš Bambušek as an actor
Synopsis
Bořek's little son Jeník hears a tale from a priest about the
Children's Crusade
The Children's Crusade was a failed Popular crusades, popular crusade by European Christians to establish a second Latin Church, Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem in the Holy Land in the early 13th century. Some sources have narrowed the date to 1212. ...
, which influences him to run away from home. His father, who is a knight, goes on a desperate journey to find him.
Production
The film is a loose adaptation of the poem "Svojanovský křižáček". Kadrnka came across the poem while working on a different project and decided to create an adaptation of it.
Preparations started in 2011 and shooting began in December 2015. The film was shot mostly in Italy, concluding in early 2016.
Reception
The film received mixed reactions from critics and audiences, many of whom debated whether it really deserved the Crystal Globe.
Accolades
References
External links
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{{Crystal Globe
2010s historical drama films
2017 films
Crystal Globe winners
Czech historical drama films
2010s Czech-language films
Films shot in Italy
Czech Lion Awards winners (films)